My 200 Favorite Video Game Themes- Part 20: Fin.

10.

Magic City

from Sim City 3000

Composer: Jerry Martin

Maxis; 1999

So, I open the final chapter in this series with an entry that is probably not on anyone else’s top 10 favorite VGM.  This personal choice comes from hundreds of hours over many years playing Sim City 3000.  I adore this song.  The pace, the tone, the piano, the way it builds and the melodies that overlap and play off each other are all just astounding to me.  There are a lot of great themes from the Sim City franchise but Magic City is the one that fits my taste and idea of an “amazing song” better than any of this storied series’ other tunes.

09.

Aquatic Ambiance

from Donkey Kong Country

Composer: David Wise, Evellyn Fisher Novacovic, Robin Beanland

Rare; 1994

Aquatic Ambiance really stands out for me as a 16-bit era song that not only uses the system’s audio capabilities better than any other song on the Super Nintendo (though it is not my favorite SNES theme), but also as another composition by David Wise that crushes the standards of game music.  It is an achievement in terms of stunning sound design and for pushing the limitations of 16-bit, midi-format music.  Aquatic Ambiance has a slow build, not getting to the song proper until the time when most game themes would have already begun looping.  All of the little details of this song, from the ambient synth filling the background to the beautiful piano melody that plays throughout come together to form a tune that does not simply live up to its pedigree, but it sets the standard for the sound of the entire series.

08.

Intro/Title

from Mega Man II

Composer:Takashi Tateishi

Capcom; 1988

The Intro theme from Mega Man II is one of the most well-known and revered themes among gamers.  It reflects all of the sounds and musical ideas that are expressed throughout the entirety of the game in one short, memorable tune.  The song has been covered time and time again, and has even had lyrics written for it in numerous fan videos.  It plays over the introduction to Mega Man II, the game I believe bears the best soundtrack of any single game in the history of the medium so far.  It is vibrant, bright, fun and catchy, and like just about every song in the game, it is timeless.

07.

Duff McWhalen

from Mega Man X-5

Composer: Naoto Tanaka

Capcom; 2000

Duff McWhalen’s theme is another song that likely does not show up on a lot of top tens, so let me see if I can express why I have this song featured so high on my list.  The piano melody is complex in the right way, the time signature and respective beat is catchy and lively, and the song’s tonal shifts are just perfect.  Duff McWhalen’s theme from the PSX game Mega Man X-5 is actually a cover of Bubble Crab’s stage from Mega Man X-2, and while melodically that version is just as good, as it is the exactly same, I love this version for its use of a set of synth sounds that just fit perfectly.  It is moody and simply brilliant.  

06.

Chill Penguin

from Mega Man X

Composer: Setsuo Yamamoto

Capcom; 1993

Another fan-favorite, Chill Penguin ranks as my second favorite Mega Man theme of all time.  It’s high-energy sound, insane use of a brain-melting synth/bass combination and classic melody make it stand out as the perfect tune for its stage.  It is has a fast lead riff that keeps the energy of the song high while still having a relatively slow tempo, and while those may sound like conflicting ideas, listening to the theme should help that make sense.  The tune has a slightly slower pace than most other songs on the soundtrack, but that does not detract from its intensity, accentuated by that phenomenal synth riff.  It also has a sound that perfectly reflects its stage, another major contributor to its placement in my top ten.  

05.

Dancing Mad

from Final Fantasy VI

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Squaresoft; 1994

Considered by most to be the ultimate boss theme, Dancing Mad is the official Kefka battle theme from Final Fantasy VI.  It plays as the player engages one of the most powerful video game bosses of all time and is the iconic example of the “perfect” battle theme, feeling grand and threatening.  Many fans of the Final Fantasy series extol Kefka as the greatest villain in the series, and considering he quite literally becomes God by the end of the game (right down to the Michelangelo imagery and Shekina behind his head), I can understand why.  The theme to battling a deity had better be amazing, and Dancing Mad nails it.

04.

Moon Theme

from Duck Tales

Composer: Hiroshige Tonomura

Capcom; 1989

To more casual game music fans or younger gamers, the inclusion of this 1989 licensed title from Capcom may seem a little odd.  However, while the original Duck Tales game was actually quite good, it is the soundtrack that kept its legacy alive.  It is full of great tracks and the quality of the soundtrack lies squarely on the shoulders of composer Hiroshige Tonomura, who only composed six titles under the Capcom label before leaving the company to work for Taito, whom he then left in the mid-90’s to pursue other projects.  Of his entire career, however, Tonomura has left one song behind that is among a few themes that really set the standard for what game music can and should be.  The Moon Theme is a beloved tune because of its cheery mood, tonal complexity and sheer breadth.  It is energetic, too, but it has a warmth to it that many game themes really lack.  It is a fun and endearing song that is always in the back of my mind when the subject of game music comes up.

03.

Wily - Stage 1

from Mega Man II

Composer: Takashi Tateishi

Capcom; 1988

Of all the themes in the outstanding Mega Man II soundtrack, the theme from Wily’s Castle 1 is by far my favorite.  It is hard to really put a finger on why, but I believe it falls mostly on the energy.  The minor key, the pace and the tone all give the feel of a song written to drive the player forward.  It is a perfect accompaniment to its stage, complimenting the flow well, despite the level’s more lazy vertical segments.  Still, there is an urgency to it, and it just feels right.  Also, it really just seems to stand out on the soundtrack.  It does not clash, mind you, rather it is like an evolution of the sounds heard up to that point.  It is actually a quite brilliant when you think about it.

02.

Bowser in the Dark World

from Super Mario 64

Composer: Koji Kondo

Nintendo; 1996

The Mario series of games has been hit or miss for me in terms of music.  Occasionally, I will hear a song that expresses the franchise’s trademark whimsy and self-aware sensibilities well and it will stick with me, but more often than not, it just comes off as forced.  However, Super Mario 64’s soundtrack is quite an achievement.  It has a mix of a lot of different musical ideas and all of them work astonishingly well.  The one song on the soundtrack that ranks above the others as my favorite is the Dark World theme.  The three courses in in the Castle where Bowser has hidden the keys to the varying floors have a song that is, for a lack of a better word, awesome.  The percussion, the build, and that moody melody during the song’s main section are all just intensely-classic.  I played this game a lot in my teens when it came out and it remains one of my favorite games of all time to this day, and this song is, believe it or not, part of the reason.  When I enter these worlds and that song kicks in, it just hits me with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.

01.

Hyrule Field

from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Composer: Koji Kondo

Nintendo; 1998

Alas, the finale.  My number one pick.  Cliched?  Okay.  Obvious?  Maybe?  However, why is this one song held in such high regard by so many gamers?  Well, it is a masterful composition and an amazing achievement in sound design in games, but I do not think this is solely the reason.  I believe it is a combination of things.  Forget the argument that Ocarina of Time is among a handful of contenders for what could objectively be called the “Greatest Video Game of All Time”, and consider this one aspect of the game: When you enter Hyrule Field, this song plays for the first time contrasting a sorrowful and silent goodbye to a childhood home for Link.  The flutes break the day and the camera pans showing us what is really the first vast, open landscape any gamer had ever really gotten a chance to explore.  Sure it is not quite as big as it may seem, thanks to some clever design tricks that allow for the illusion of scale while remaining within the bounds of the console’s limitations, but the promise of exploring this world the first time we see the field and hear this song is a striking memory, at least for me.  The song is a orchestration of the classic Legend of Zelda theme music but unlike a vast majority of game music up to the time this game was released, this tune does not really loop.  It opens with the break of day and then, just as the song would begin its loop, fades out as night falls leaving behind an unsettling silence, broken only occasionally by the howling of a wolf or the chirps and shakes of midnight ambiance.  The song goes through several segments, all flowing to a triumphant climax as dusk approaches.  Koji Kondo’s theme for Hyrule Field is not only a good theme in terms of composition, but is equally stunning in terms of how it is used in the game.  It is a flawless implementation of an already breathtaking song, and that is why it is my number one.  

It took me a while to get through this list, but now that it is over, I have another list to start working on, here.  Keep watch because very, very soon I will be sharing my favorite movies of the 90’s.

Thank you for reading.

My 200 Favorite Video Game Themes- Part 19: Penultima

20.

Crono’s Theme

from Chrono Trigger

Composers: Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, Noriko Matsueda

Squaresoft; 1994

This map theme is really gives the feel of a big epic world, which of course Chrono Trigger has in spades.  The scope and breadth of this game is simply astounding, especially for a 16-bit era title.  It is nearly twenty years old and yet remains longer than most games released to this day.  There is just so much here, and this song has all of the strength of an aged, historical period piece tossed with a grand adventure.  It is an incredibly strong tune, and one of the best RPG themes of all time, in my opinion.

19.

Big Blue

from F-Zero

Composers: Yumiko Kanki, Naoto Ishida

Nintendo; 1990

This fan-favorite is one of the first video game themes to feel like a fully-realized rock song, complete with a guitar solo.  The use of pitch bending gives the illusion of a string bend on a guitar or a slide up or down the fretboard and the fast licks are reminiscent of a classic lead guitar improvisation.  Obviously mixing ideas from classic and 80’s rock, this tune has become one of the most covered video game themes, with fans taking various approaches to it on guitar from a classic rock style to overdrive heavy metal.

18.

Tera’s Theme

from Final Fantasy VI

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Squaresoft; 1994

Final Fantasy VI is arguably the best in the series.  The characters, the villain, the world as a whole, everything is carefully pieced together like a luxurious article of jewelry.  Fine details, facets and a polish not seen in any title before it.  Its soundtrack has also become somewhat legendary, as it features a few of the most iconic themes in the already renowned series’ repertoire.  Nobuo Uematsu did some of his best work on this entry and one of my personal favorites is Tera’s Theme.  Like Crono’s Theme from Chrono Trigger, Tera’s theme is used as the overworld theme song, and becomes the unofficial theme song for the entire game.  It is masterfully-composed for an early-90’s piece and has a mood and atmosphere that reflects the growing sophistication of video game sound design of the time.

17.

Storm Eagle

from Mega Man X

Composer: Setsuo Yamamoto

Capcom; 1993

Speaking of sophisticated, let us discuss what I would argue is the best game soundtrack of the 16-bit era: Mega Man X.  Already appearing on my list in previous entries, Mega Man X is a stunning turning point in game music.  For me, it was the definite shift in direction for game themes.  While music in games had already begun maturing by this point, it was Mega Man X that proved that layering and complex composition was not only possible, but a necessity.  The soundtrack is revered for its intensity, its hard rock styling and its memorability.  Favored above all by many is most definitely Storm Eagle’s theme.  As the player navigates the most customer-unfriendly airport in history, this rock tune drives the stage with energy and character that few other game themes have been able to recreate or stand against.

16.

Clash on the Big Bridge

from Final Fantasy V

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Squaresoft; 1992

I did not get a chance to play through Final Fantasy V until years after its release, and by then the famous Gilgamesh had already become one of the series’ most talked-about characters.  A large part of that is his intense, memorable battle theme.  From the opening to the end, this is an incredibly fast, non-stop adrenaline-rush of a song.  It never lets up, it just stays on its high from the time the guitars kick in.  I recommend the Black Mages version of this theme, it is incredible.

15.

Upper Brinstar

from Super Metroid

Composer: Kenji Yamamoto, Minako Hamano

Nintendo; 1994

Super Metroid, my all-time favorite video game, is a flawlessly-designed masterwork of the medium.  There is not one element of the game that I would consider to be truly-flawed.  The soundtrack is a memorable collection of eerie and unsettling tunes and my favorite track in the game is heard early on as the player first enters the overgrown Brinstar.  Upper Brinstar is has this hollow, abandoned feel to it for me, even more so than many other parts of the game (the Wrecked Ship notwithstanding) and the theme is this chanting, rhythmic composition that is structurally-complex and fitting for its level.  It is a favorite of mine because, as a kid, upon entering this place for the first time, I found the fading in of the drums and the chilling choir to be so striking, that, even after beating the game and hearing all of the other classic themes this game has to offer, this was the one that was still playing in my head.

14.

The Dark World Theme

from Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Composer: Koji Kondo

Nintendo; 1991

I am pretty sure A Link to the Past was the first Super Nintendo game I ever achieved 100% completion on.  Around that same time I cleared Super Mario World, but A Link to the Past (my personal-favorite Zelda title), was the SNES game I pushed myself to finish almost the same weekend I started playing, and with the help of Nintendo Power, me and my friend did everything there was to do in the game shortly thereafter.  One of my favorite elements of A Link to the Past was the changing world after Ganon takes over.  The idea was a reimagining of the Second Quest from The Legend of Zelda and has since been implemented many times in the series.  The Dark World theme is a great adventure theme, highlighting some excellent design and contrasting the strangeness of the changed world around you.

13.

One Winged Angel

from Final Fantasy VII

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Squaresoft; 1997

Sephiroth is one of the most revered and exalted villains in the long history of fictional bad guys.  I do not believe this reverence is restricted to gaming, either.  I think Sephiroth is one of the most recognized and cheered villains in the annals of popular culture.  His power and unforgivable actions throughout the story of Final Fantasy VII has made him a target of gamers’ anger for years, which is the sign of a truly great antagonist.  His theme, One Winged Angel, is a bombastic and menacing piece and certainly reflects the feeling of facing a being far more powerful than one’s self.

12.

Dire Dire Docks

from Super Mario 64

Composer: Koji Kondo

Nintendo; 1996

Super Mario 64 has a number of excellent tracks and a few of them are high on my list for my all time favorite game themes.  Super Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time for a number of reasons.  It was groundbreaking for its time, implementing 3D better than just about any game before it.  It has a number of stages that are just brilliant from a design standpoint and, unlike most early 3D platformers, still holds up to this day when compared to titles like Jak and Daxter and the first Sly Cooper.  Dire Dire Docks is an excellent tune, featuring a soft, soothing sound that never goes into the high-pace, fast-tempo energy of typical game music.  This theme instead has a sound that greatly reflects its level.  This theme is played in Jolly Roger Bay and Dire Dire Docks, two water stages that have a flow that is paced significantly slower than other levels in the game, so the lower tempo suits the levels well.  The gentle melody is relaxing and memorable and has been a personal favorite of mine for years.

11.

Another Winter

from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Compsoers: Anamanaguchi

Ubisoft/Montreal; 2010

At number 11, we bid adieu to Anamanaguchi.  Another Winter is their stunning stage 1 theme from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: the Game.  I do not really know how much I can say about this soundtrack that I have not already gushed except: Listen to it.  All of it.  Another Winter is some of their best work but what makes it stand out for me to rank so high on my list is how it is presented in the game.  When I first played this excellent beat-em-up I was not entirely sure what to expect, and the first stage of the game tells a story as you move through it that is complemented by this stunning track.  It is cheerful, it is catchy and it fits the pace of the level well.  Many beat-em-ups tend to have their soundtracks feel repetitive because, as they are paced much slower than most other game types, they tend to have levels that are shorter in size, but longer in duration, so a shorter loop could reasonably become annoying.  Anamanaguchi made songs with nice, long loops to compliment the levels’ length, and the result is one of the best game soundtracks of all time.

My 200 Favorite Video Game Themes- Part 17: Nostalgia Triumphant

40.

Tornado Man

from Mega Man 9

Composer: Ippo Yamada

Capcom; 2008

After a decade-long hiatus peppered with Legends, Battle Chips and 3-D debacles, Capcom finally gave us Mega-fanboys a new title in original franchise that harkened back to the old-school series that created the namesake and cemented it as a solid and reliable franchise that would satisfy from the 80’s well into the 90’s.  By the turn of the millennium, Capcom had set its sights on other projects and had essentially left the Blue Bomber to rot, only occasionally releasing tie-in titles that claim to be canon but were really titles implementing popular fads for handheld gaming at the time.  They were essentially cash-ins.  The Megaman X titles continued with declining quality, ultimately showing how far the series fell with Megaman X-7, an ugly disaster of a game that was hindered by its poorly-executed 3D design.  Long gone were fast stages with constant threats and collapsing environments, and in its place came slow, dark, poorly-rendered passages and cheap-looking, sloppy cel-shaded animation.  Five years later, Mega Man 9 brought the series back to its roots, releasing as a digital download title on the 360 and PS3, the game featured classic 8-bit graphics, challenging design and a great soundtrack.  The one takeaway track for me was Tornado Man’s theme, a song that sounds as though it could have been composed in 1990 yet still does not feel like a throwback either.  It is an impressively catchy theme and one of the best of the series.

39.

Home Sweet Home

from Beyond Good and Evil

Composer: Christophe Héral

Ubisoft; 2003

Beyond Good and Evil has shown up a few times up to this point and Home Sweet Home is the final theme from the game featured on this list.  This is a wonderful tune.  The way it builds on a simple piano melody so fluidly and so beautifully gives the song a sincerity, and as the tune progresses, while things in this strange world begin to feel more and more dire, the mood shifts and turns and changes.  It is a song that conveys so many feelings.  A perfect iconic tune for a game this emotionally-complex and deep.

38.

Purification of the City

from Flower

Composer: Vincent Diamante

ThatGameComapny; 2009

On the note of emotional-complexity, Flower makes its final appearance with the song from the stage that holds the most meaning in the game.  Flower’s is a story is told without any exposition or without any dialogue.  It is a tale woven through pictures and experiences.  Purification of the City has the player maneuvering the wind between fallen buildings in an abandoned, lifeless metropolis.  The song is triumphant and glorious, feeling ever tragic but still empowering as a strong backdrop to nature’s victory over man’s folly.  It is a very powerful tune that is best heard while playing the game, as it fits the feel and flow of the level better than almost any game theme I have ever heard.

NOTE: I shared the entire level video rather than just the song. I felt it was the only way to properly convey the impact of this song.

37.

Bloody Tears

from Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest

Composer: Kenichi Matsubara

Konami; 1988

I loved Simon’s Quest as a kid.  This is a game that opened quite a few doors for me.  It was one of the first games I ever played and beat that had a fully-explorable world, implementing a design that is now lovingly referred to by fans as a “Metroidvania” world.  One of the earliest instances of an open side-scroller, Simon’s Quest remains one of the best of the genre on the weight of some sturdy difficulty, a solid and clear goal, and an amazing soundtrack.  Bloody Tears is arguably the most famous theme of the franchise, having been covered live on stage and on YouTube in various forms and even having shown up in later Castlevania titles as one of only a handful of the series’ themes to be featured in more than one game.  Bloody Tears is a classic in every definition of the word.

36.

Enemy Attack

from Final Fantasy X

Composers: Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Junya Nakano

Squaresoft; 2001

Boss Themes are an important gauge for any game composer, I say.  You have to take the musical stylings of the game, and make a song that is separate from the level theme, and make it more intense, and have build in a way that makes the fight seem grandiose and threatening.  Most boss themes fail at this, which is why there are so few of them on my list.  It is easy to make music creepy, or noisy, but to make one that is just purely powerful, reflecting the threat before you… Well, that has to be a daunting task.  So, leave it to the folks at Square to solve the problem!  Enemy Attack, and I say this with all sincerity, is the perfect boss theme.  It may not be the best, it may not even be the best on the PS2, but it is the example.  It is the song that starts out letting the player know things are serious and then just builds.  The song’s long loop and bone-crushing choir (those are words you probably never thought you’d read back-to-back, huh?) make for a truly powerful series of encounters throughout the game.  This is a standout track from one of the best game soundtracks of all time.

35.

Bubbleman

from Mega Man II

Composer: Takashi Tateishi

Capcom; 1988

Mega Man II is a fan favorite in the series for a number of reasons.  It is an incredibly well-designed and well-structured game full of memorable moments and exciting levels and bosses, but more than anything else, I think, the thing that stuck with fans was the music.  Oh, man the music in this game.  Some games have soundtracks that fans just immediately think of when the subject of game music comes up.  Some fans think of Mario, some think of Zelda, but for me, it’s this game.  Mega Man II just may be MY pick for the greatest video game soundtrack of all time.  I say this just on the grounds that I am judging it based on the period in which it was released, and based on staying-power.  Sure, there have been songs in games released that one could argue are better in their own right, but a collection of themes this good, from the title screen to the closing credits..?  I doubt one could find one that is this perfect.  I may be wrong, but in all my years as a gamer, playing console after console for generation after generation for more than twenty-five years of my life, I have yet to find a soundtrack that, in its entirety, holds a candle to Mega Man II’s.

34.

Green Hill Zone

from Sonic the Hedgehog

Composer: Masato Nakamura

Sega; 1991

Sonic makes his final appearance on my list with the very first level theme from Sonic the Hedgehog.  Green Hill Zone is an iconic Sega tune that is also one of the essential 16-bit era themes.  Many gamers of the time were introduced to this song alongside a brand new gameplay experience that traded the more deliberate but slower jumps and level negotiation of the Super Mario Bros. franchise for twitch gameplay, high-speed loops, ramps that send you flying across the stage or into the sky and dangerous traps that often came seemingly out of nowhere.  Add to that tiered levels with multiple paths and you had a game-changer in terms of game design and pace.  The Green Hill Zone theme is one of my personal favorites because, melodically, it just works.  It has a softer melody that is emphasized by an upbeat accompaniment and a wonderful build to a satisfying end to the loop.

33.

Treasury Room

from Super Castlevania IV

Composers: Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudo

Konami; 1991

Here’s another Castlevania IV theme.  The Treasury Room is much, much later in the game and the song features one of my favorite structures.  It is a slow build to an amazing theme.  Listening to the start of the song, with it’s creepy piano and organ combination, one would probably not guess that this tune will be a high-energy organ rock piece with some distinctly-Gothic ideas.  This theme belongs up there with many of the more famous Castlevania tunes for me.  It is catchy, memorable and just as strong as most of the franchise’s other, more well-known themes in my opinion.  The song builds well, too, starting very simple and adding layers as it goes, creating a steadily evolving theme that has a very long loop for a 16-bit title.

32.

Napalm Man

from Mega Man V

Composer: Mari Yamaguchi

Capcom; 1992

This one may seem a little high to most, and I get that.  For me, however, I love the intro riff to this song, and how it shows up after each part of the song in different iterations.  I love that one little riff enough to push this song way up into my top 40.  Other than that, if it were not for the rhythmic interludes and the way the song sort of shifts tonally through them, I would say this is a rather forgettable tune.  It’s funny how sometimes one’s favorite songs are often the simplest ones, huh?

31.

Title Theme

from Metroid

Composer: Hirokazu Tanaka

Nintendo; 1986

I will make an assertion here: Metroid is the most underrated soundtrack of the 8-bit era.  It is damn-good.  It has a blend of eerie and heroic and has a touch of both emotions in every theme.  It is the soundtrack to aimlessly exploring a dangerous and labyrinthine alien world.  I cannot see anyone hitting the nail on the proverbial head better than what was achieved here.  While Super Metroid’s soundtrack is arguably better, for an 8-bit soundtrack, released so early in the NES cycle, this game has charm and memorability in spades.  The Title Theme starts off as a slightly unsettling series of creepy beeps and buzzes until it seamlessly and flawlessly transitions into an excellent melody.  The song’s layers are few but that is all that is needed to convey the feeling of jumping into this game.  NES’ Metroid is one of Nintendo’s all-time best, and this theme is among the greatest in their catalog.  I stand by that.